All Chapters of His Favorite Hate: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Zay’s POV College was supposed to be a fresh start for both of us. A new chapter, where I could finally leave behind the jerk I was in high school and become someone she could respect—maybe even like. But every time I saw Vee, it was like all the old battles replayed in my head, and the war was just getting started. I spotted her one rainy afternoon, stepping out of the library with her umbrella barely holding against the wind. Her head was down, eyes glued to her phone, like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. She looked so vulnerable, but also stubborn as hell. Just like always. That’s when I decided—I had to stop running from how I felt. I wasn’t just going to be the guy she hated anymore. I wanted to be the guy she could trust, the guy who had always secretly cared, even when I showed it all wrong. I cleared my throat and called out, “Hey, Vee.” She startled and looked up, eyes wide with surprise and a little bit of wariness. “Zay.” I stepped closer, tryin

Zay’s POV Vee didn’t say much when we left the coffee shop. She just nodded, gave me this unreadable look, and walked off into the night like she hadn’t just shattered my entire world by saying yes to being there. She’d agreed to sit with me—willingly. No yelling. No storming off. No sharp words or icy stares. That was new. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ignite the small hope I’d been guarding like a secret. She gave me a crack of light in all the darkness I’d wrapped around us. And now? I wanted more. Not in the cocky, arrogant way I used to take everything I wanted. This was different. She made me earn it. Every glance. Every second of conversation. Every ounce of trust. It drove me insane in the best way. The next day, I found myself wandering past the student center at the exact time I knew she’d be walking out of her English Lit class. Not on purpose or anything. Okay. Maybe totally on purpose. She came out with a couple of girls, laughing about something I couldn’t

Vee’s POV I didn’t know why I said yes. Maybe it was the look in his eyes when he asked. Maybe it was the way he stood there, soaked in rain and sincerity, like someone learning how to beg for the first time. Or maybe I was just tired—tired of carrying the weight of what he did to me, and what I still felt despite it. I spent all day telling myself it wasn’t a date. Just a test. Just an experiment in boundaries. But when I saw him standing outside the theater, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket, rocking on his heels like a nervous kid, something inside me twisted. Zay was never nervous. Never still. Never soft. And yet here he was, waiting for me like I was the only thing that mattered. He didn’t complain when I handed him the ticket for a rom-com. He didn’t make some sarcastic joke or roll his eyes. He just smiled—genuinely, not that stupid smirk—and said, “Your rules.” That felt new. And terrifying. We sat in the back, and I expected him to pull something. A lame pickup line.

Zay’s POV I never thought I’d feel this way. Not after all the years I spent pushing her away, tormenting her just to mask what I really felt. But standing there, watching that guy—Ryan—smiling like he owned the room when he looked at Vee, something inside me snapped. It was like my entire body shifted, my skin heating up, my fists clenching before I even realized what was happening. That wasn’t jealousy. It was something darker, sharper—a fierce, possessive fire that I couldn’t control. I should’ve been angry. Hell, I was angry. Angry at Ryan for even thinking he could touch what had been mine since grade school. Angry at myself for letting her slip away this long. Angry at the past that kept us tangled in confusion. But beneath all that anger was something more—desperate, raw, and completely overwhelming. I wanted her. Not just as some prize to win, but like she was the only thing that could save me. I saw her across the quad, laughing with those friends of hers. The light in h

Zay’s POVI never thought this moment would feel so surreal. After all the years of hell I put her through, all the times I pushed her away just to hide what I really wanted, here we were—finally together.Vee was sitting on my bed, the soft glow of the desk lamp casting golden highlights through her curls. Her eyes were wide, vulnerable, and that flicker of hesitation was still there, but beneath it was something new—trust. A fragile kind of hope that she was letting me in.I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Are you sure about this?”She nodded, biting her lip like she was fighting her own doubts. “I’m scared, Zay. But I want this. I want us.”Those words hit me harder than any punch. I reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.”We moved closer, the space between us shrinking with every heartbeat. I could feel the heat radiating off her skin through the thin fabric of her sweater. My fingers trembled as I trac